A Wearable, Extensible, Open-Source Platform for Hearing Healthcare Research

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Hearing loss is a prevalent global issue, particularly among older adults.
• Current hearing aid research faces challenges due to proprietary systems, limited processing power, and difficulties in real-world testing.
• Existing solutions often struggle with speech intelligibility in noise and high costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel, open-source hearing research platform called Open Speech Platform (OSP).
• To overcome the limitations of current systems in audiological research and hearing healthcare.
• To facilitate advanced research and development in hearing aid technology.

Main Methods:

• Development of a complete wearable platform encompassing hardware, firmware, and software.
• Integration of basic and advanced hearing aid functionalities adaptable for researchers.
• Implementation of a system serving web applications directly from the hardware for real-time control.
• Simultaneous acquisition of high-quality electroencephalography (EEG) or other electrophysiological signals synchronized with audio.

Main Results:

• The Open Speech Platform (OSP) offers a comprehensive, adaptable solution for hearing research.
• The platform supports real-time system control via web applications hosted on the wearable device.
• High-fidelity electrophysiological signal acquisition, synchronized with audio, is achieved.
• The wearable design ensures sufficient battery life for extended field operation.

Conclusions:

• OSP provides a versatile and open-source tool to advance hearing healthcare research.
• The platform empowers researchers to overcome previous technical barriers in audiological studies.
• OSP enables new avenues for investigating hearing loss and developing improved hearing aid solutions.